Group: Local food easy to find in Delaware County

Tuesday

A national trend is making its way through Delaware County as people start asking themselves, "Where exactly does my food come from?"

A national trend is making its way through Delaware County as people start asking themselves, "Where exactly does my food come from?"

Eating locally grown food isn't an abstract concept, said Roxanne Amidon of Sustainable Delaware. Many Americans are wondering where their food originates, she said.

Fortunately for Delaware County residents, finding local food is often as easy as picking a restaurant and ordering off its menu.

"There are a lot of restaurants in Delaware County that buy locally grown food," Amidon said. "We are trying to make people aware of this fact."

The second annual Delaware Local Menu Week, set Aug. 10-19, will feature restaurants that go out of their way to purchase food from local vendors.

"Most people don't know that there are restaurants that buy all their chicken from Amish country," she said. "In fact, just last week, I saw Amish farmers delivering food to Amato's Pizza."

Amidon knows eating local food is a popular movement and she wants people to know they can do that in Delaware.

"We want people to know that we're here," she said. "You don't have to drive all the way to Polaris; we have restaurants right here in Delaware."

Last year during Delaware Local Menu Week, many restaurants featured specialty menu items, such as green bean stir-fry using local vegetables.

All participating restaurants will be able to tell diners which items on the menu are locally grown. Last year, many restaurants welcomed new customers who were unaware the restaurants served local food, Amidon said.

"The fact that people want to eat locally grown food isn't new, but promoting the menu items and specific restaurants has been new for Delaware," she said.

Sustainable Delaware advocates social and economic programs that promote sustainability, such as clean water, recycling, eating local foods and using "green" transportation.

Amidon said the group tries to bring people together for a common purpose. For example, last year, it started a community garden; now, there are four community gardens.

"This is what we do: bring people together to share practices on sustainability," she said.

Amidon has invited all restaurants in Delaware County to be a part of the event. All that is required is that they contact her and let her know what products on their menu feature locally grown items.

The event is open to anyone in Delaware County who likes to eat, she said.

Amidon said there is a major economic component that plays into eating locally grown food.

"When you purchase local food, that money gets placed right back into your community," she said. "It boosts jobs and strengthens your economy."

For more information on participating as a restaurant or a diner, email info@sustainabledelawareohio.org.

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